1998 Mazda 626

THIS HAS BEEN A MAJOR PROBLEM ON THE MAZDA 626. DEALERS ARE MAKING HUGE PROFITS BY NOT FIXING THE PART BUT THE WHOLE TRANSMISSION FOR A COST OF 2600 TO 3500 BASED ON MY RESEARCH. THERE ARE MANY POSTINGS ON THE INTERNET WITH THIS PROBLEM. ALL CARS EFFECTED THAT I HAVE RESEARCHED HAVE LESS THAN 100,000 MILES. ONE SOURCE SAID THAT THE TRANSMISSION MAY BE FAILING BECAUSE OF A FAULTY COMPUTER CHIP. WHY DO NOT THE DEALERS JUST REPLACE THE COMPUTER CHIP ON A RECALL IF THIS IS A PROBLEM? PROBABLY BECAUSE THEY ARE MAKING SO MUCH MONEY REPLACING THE TRANSMISSIONS.*AK

I SAW THE ITEM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FREEWAY TRAVELING 55 MPH DURING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. IT WAS SMALL AND DUE TO TRAFFIC, I RAN OVER THE ITEM AND THE NEXT THING I REMEMBER WAS AN AIRBAG IN MY FACE. I LOOKED AROUND TO SEE IF SOMEONE HIT ME OR IF I HIT SOMEONE. DUE TO THE FORCE OF THE PASSENGER AIRBAG, IT CRACKED MY WINDSHEILD. NO DAMAGE WAS REPORTED UNDERNEATH MY VEHICLE SO WHY DID MY AIRBAGS DEPLOY? THIS DEFECT COULD HAVE CAUSED MAJOR DAMAGE IF I HADN'T REACTED CALMLY WHEN IT HAPPENDED.*AK

TRANSMISSION WENT OUT AFTER OWNING VEHICLE FOR ONLY 1 YR. AFTER CONTACTING A MECHANIC, I WAS TOLD THAT TRANSMISSION NEEDED THREE NEW UPDATED PARTS OR TRANSMISSION WOULD CONTINUE TO GO OUT EVEN IF I PURCHASED A NEW ONE. WHY IS THERE NOT A RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE? I LOOKED AT THE CONSUMER COMPLAINTS ON YOUR SITE. I SEE I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. WHAT HAS TO HAPPEN BEFORE A RECALL IS DONE?*AK

NOISE FROM ENGINE, WHINING NOISE, RPM DIAL JUMPS UP WHEN ACCELERATOR PUSH BUT NO POWER. CAR JERKS UPON COMING TO A FULL STOP. RPM DIAL GOES UP AND DOWN TO THE POINT THAT ENGINE WILL CUT OFF. NO DASH BOARD LIGHT EVER CAME ON TO GIVE WARNING. ON 8-01-01, HAD CAR TOWED TO MONTGOMERY MADZA IN CHARLOTTE, NC (VACATIONING) DEALER CALLS ON MONDAY TO STATE TRANSMISSION HAD FAILED AND TO REPLACE WOULD COST $2700.00. DEALER CALLED BACK WITH A NEW QUOTE OF $1700.00. STATED THAT TERRITORY REP, TOM WATKINS WAS THE ONLY ONE THAT COULD AUTHORIZE A DIFFERENT BUT BECAUSE I WAS OVER 80,000 MILES, HE WAS STICKING TO HIS DECISION. I ASKED TO SPEAK WITH MR. WATKIN AND WAS TOLD HE WAS UNAVAILABLE AND WAS GIVEN MY PHONE NUMBER BUT HE NEVER RETURNED THE CALL. I CALLED MY DEALER LOCATED IN ATLANTA, GA, HENNESSY MAZDA AND SPOKE WITH STEVE ANDREWS IN THE REPAIR DEPT AND TOLD HIM OF THE SITUATION AND HIS ONLY RECOMMENDATION WAS THAT THEY ADD AN ADDITIONAL TRANSMISSION COOLER AND HE WAS NOT SURPRISED THAT THE TRANSMISSIONS ARE NOT GOOD. I GAVE AUTHORIZATION TO HAVE THE CAR REPAIRED AT 4:30PM ON 8-6-01. I ALSO STATED THAT I HAD SOME DEALER (HENNESSY MAZDA) COUPONS THAT WOULD HAVE HELPED WITH THE COST OF THE REPAIRS BUT MONTGOMERY MAZDA WOULD NOT HONOR THE COUPONS. DID SOME RESEARCH ONLINE AND TO MY SURPRISE THAT THIS MODEL AND MAKE HAS SO MANY PROBLEMS. MY FAITH IN MAZDA HAS GONE OUT OF THE WINDOW.

VEHICLE IS VERY SLUGGISH WHEN ACCELERATING, E.G. FROM A FULL STOP TO 40 MPH, ESP. IN 2ND, 3RD, AND 4TH GEARS. OCCASIONALLY, THE CAR WILL "BUCK" OR SPUTTER, THEN SPONTANEOUSLY CATCH AND ACCELERATE RAPIDLY. ON TWO OCCASIONS, I HAVE NARROWLY AVOIDED COLLISIONS AS A RESULT OF THIS DEFECT. THE PROBLEM OCCURS AT LEAST 20 TIMES PER DAY DURING MY 35-MILE COMMUTE TO AND FROM WORK, YET, WHEN I BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE DEALER THEY REPORTED THAT THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE THE FAILURE. THERE IS OCCASIONALLY AN AUDIBLE POPPING SOUND EMINATING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE JUST BEYOND THE FIREWALL WHEN THE PROBLEM OCCURS. I AM AFRAID THAT SOONER OR LATER MY LUCK WILL RUN OUT. I AM AWARE OF A RECALL COVERING THE PCM UNIT ON THE 98 626, BUT WAS TOLD BY MAZDA USA THAT MY VEHICLE WAS NOT COVERED BY THIS RECALL. PLEASE ADVISE.*AK

THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER HAS BEEN ON BACK-ORDER TO MILLENIUM MAZDA DEALER NUMBER 23836SINCE 5-14-01. I HAVE CONTACTED MAZDA CUSTOMER ASSITANCE BY LETTER AND PHONE AND THERE HAS BEEN NO RESPONSE. I HAVE BEEN WITHOUT A CAR FOR NEARLY 2 MONTHS. NO ONE SEEMS WILLING TO OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE AND SINCE THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER IS A SAFTEY AND EMISSION ITEM I CANNOT DRIVE THE VEHILCE WITHOUT A NEW ONE. ANY ASSITANCE OR GUIDENCE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. *AK